咬指甲是一种强迫症

 

Medical experts are now taking a closer look at the addiction and have decided⁴ to change its classification from a mere⁵ habit to a full-fledged obsessive⁶-compulsive disorder⁷.

 

The American Psychiatric Association is preparing to change the designation of nail biting from 'not otherwise classified,' to 'obsessive（强迫性的） compulsive disorder' in its upcoming issue of the Diagnostic and Statistical⁸ Manual of Mental Disorders⁹, NBC News reported.

 

Habits that are commonly associated with OCD include repetitive hand-washing and hair-pulling. The disease is characterized by unreasonable¹⁰ thoughts and fears that lead to such repetitive behaviors.

 

The occasional chewed nail isn't an indication of the disorder, medical experts assure.

 

'As with hair pulling and skin picking, nail biting isn't a disorder unless it is impairing¹¹, distressing¹², and meets a certain clinical level of severity,' Carol Mathews, M.D., a psychiatrist¹³ at the University of California, San Francisco, told NBC News.

 

'That is not the vast majority of nail bitters,' she said.

 

Nail chewing is considered severe when the habit becomes destructive – when it impairs¹⁴ use of the hands or leads to repeated infections.

 

Sometimes a nail-biter's hands and fingers can become infected, but more often, the habit leads to an increased risk of contracting colds and other illnesses because it encourages the spread of germs from the nails to the lips and mouth.

 

Nail biters looking to quit their addiction may find they are less inclined to stick their fingers in their mouths if they put lemon juice or hot sauce on their digits¹⁵.

 

Former nail biters who quit the habit said it also helps to wrap nails in tape or Band-Aids and to keep their hands well-manicured.

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